Elongate-extensible member



O United States Patent [111 3,545,715

[72] Inventor Lee Triplet! UNITED STATES PATENTS Salt Lake City, Utah1,225,795 5/1917 Fraser 287/203 [2 pp 747,898 2,456,480 12/1948 Austin85/67 1 Filed J y 26,1968 2,542,967 2/1951 Waechter 287 58(,CT 1Patented 8, 1970 3,004,743 10/1961 Wengerm. 240/161 [73] AssisneeExpand) Products m? 1,302,588 5/1919 PlelSIel' 85/67 z f ggg of UtahFOREIGN PATENTS I 585,605 2/1947 Great Britain 248/161 PrimaryExaminer-Edward C. Allen 541 ELONGATE-EXTENSIBLE MEMBER Ralph Shaffer 1Claim, 4 Drawing Figs. 52] m 248/411, ABSTRACT: The present inventioncomprises an elongate ex- 8 5 no tensible device employing one or morecompression-type fric- [51] In. N F16! 11/26 tion-lock devices withinthe design. These are utilized to per- 501 Field oi'Search 248/411,Selectable moummg of the dew, Selectable 412, 354, 355 161, 1885;237/58(CT); 85/70, thereof, and so forth. The elongate structure of thepresent in- 287/203 vent1on 1s suitable for incorporation in a vanety ofcontexts,

such as microphone stands, camera and projector stands, ex- [56]References Cited tensible legs, pointers, and so forth.

PATENTED DEC 8197B LEE TRIPLE TT BY HIS ATTORNEY ELONGATE-EXTENSIBLEMEMBER The present invention relates to elongate devices which areadjustable as to extension and retraction and, more particularly, toanew and improved elongate device of the type described wherein by meansof incorporation of one or more friction locks within the structure, thedevice may be used in a versatile manner. in a number. of contexts. Inthe past, a number of different types of devices have been made whichare extensible and withdrawable in one way or another. Conventionalmicrophone stands, music stands, and so forth, will conventionallyinclude alocking collar that is threaded to the base of the unit. Thelocking collar has jaws'or other securement means provided therewithinfor selectively locking and releasing the lock upon a central moveableshaft. Such structures have proved to be expensive to produce,cumbersome in use, and rather difficult to manipulate, requiring theuser to grasp, not only the collar, but also the base to which thecollar is threaded.

Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to provide anew and improved extensible structure incorporating a selectivelyreleasable friction-lock.

A further object is to provide a new friction-locking construction.

A further object is to provide an extensible and retractable elongatedevice wherein plural friction-lock devices are incorporated in thedesign to admit the securement of the object to an external member suchas a base, and also to provide selective and easy locking and release oflock for members upper portions of which are extensible.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a means whereby oneor more frictional-locking devices incorporating friction-lockelastomeric sleeve-may be manipulated remotely and exteriorly of thearea in which the locking device is used.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel areset forth with particularity in the appended claims. The presentinvention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, togetherwith further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood byreference to the following description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective of a microphone stand incorporating theprinciples of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view, shown in vertical section, ofthe base portion of the device illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section and is taken along the line 3-3 in FIG. 1.i

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1. v

In FIG. 1, microphone includes a base clevis mount 11 to which issecured an upper ear 12 or rod 13, of the elongate construction of thepresent invention when taking the form of a stand. Ear 12 includes anaperture 14 which is alined with the apertures 15 and 16 of mount 11.Pivot pin 17 is provided and may take any one of several standard formsfor securing a microphone to a rod or a shafLRod 13 may be solid ofhollow, as desired. Where hollow, a stud 17 may be threaded into theinwardly threaded portion 18 of rod 13 to provide a secure mounting. Ofcourse, where the rod 13 is solidthen the stud 17 may be appropriatelyturned and threaded in a conventional manner. It is deemed preferable,however, that ahollow configuration for rod 13 may be used.

Disposed upon the threaded portion of stud 17 is a washer or bearing 19,backing rod reaction shoulder S, and which itself is backed by radiallyexpansible, axially compressible, resilient, elastomeric sleeve 20 andnut 21 the latter of which is threaded onto the stud 17. Thus, it willbe seen that when the parts (shown in exploded view in FIG. 4 at theleft-hand side thereof) are assembled onto threaded portion or stud 17,that a slight manual preload may be applied to the sleeve 20 by the userturning merely with his thumb and fingers the nut 21 upon stud 17. Thegeneral construction of the device, when assembled, isillustrated inFIG. 3, wherein rod 13 is seen as being disposed within central sleeve22. The tubular standard,

Le. central sleeve 22, may include an end portion 23 simply pressed intothe upper end 24 of central sleeve member 25. The representative line 26merely indicates that members 24 and 25 shall be joined and consideredas an integral unit. In practice it is preferred to provide thestructure as shown, since the end portion or ferrule 24 serves as aguide for rod 13; further, additional interior space is provided for theexpansion of sleeve 20.

The lower end 27 of central sleeve 22 is provided with a friction-lockdevice 28 as follows. Bolt 29 has included thereover an axiallycompressible, radially expandable sleeve 30 which is backed by alinementbushing 31 and washer 32. The latter abuts the end 33 of the centralsleeve 22. With the user merely tightening the nut 34 upon the threadedshank 34' of bolt 29, a tight compression load can be exerted bycompression sleeve 30 so that this end fitting, including threaded shank34, will be rigidly secured to and within this end of central sleeve 22.

Base support T is provided with base 35 which rests upon a ground planeand is provided with a central aperture or bore 36. This bore receivesthe lower-most portion 37 of the bolt 29 and, as well, the washer 38,elastomeric, axially compressible, radially expandable sleeve 39, andnut 40 which is threaded upon the threaded shank of bolt 29. It is to benoted that tubular stub of the base takes the form of a closed-endsleeve nut 41 which has a base portion 42 which has a threaded apertureat 43 to threadingly receive bolt 29. It is to be noted that the nut 34engages the internal face of base portion 42. Hence, when the sleeve nut41 is manually rotated, the same will serve to compress sleeve 39 andthus produce a friction-lock within the base 35 (by virtue ofthe'expansion of sleeve 39) without disturbing the friction-lockproduced by sleeve 30 within elongate sleeve 22.

The structure as thus far described is assembled and operates asfollows. The'central elongate tube 22 is first provided withfriction-lock components including sleeve 30, bolt 29, bushing 31, andwasher 32, and the nut 34 is tightened down against the lower end (bywasher 33) of central tube 22, this so as to produce a securefriction-lock by device 28 at the lower end of central tube 22. Thetightening of nut 34 produces a compression of elastomeric sleeve 30 soas to obtain the friction-lock before mentioned.

At This point, the lower portion of tube 22 is introduced into thesleeve nut 41, and shank 34' of bolt 29 is threaded through the threadedaperture 43 such that the threaded shank of the bolt proceedstherebelow. At this point the friction-lock device, including theaforementioned threaded shank of the bolt and elastomeric sleeve 39,washer 38, and nut 40, is assembled. A slight preload is given theelastomeric sleeve 39 through the manual tightening of nut 40 upon theshank 34' of bolt 29. Next, these parts as above referenced, areintroduced as a frictional-locking device within the bore 36 of base 35.A manual tightening of the sleeve nut 41 produces a tightening of nut 40against the lower end of sleeve 39 so as to produce a very rigid andfixed securement of this portion of the structure within bore 36. Itwill be noted that the bolt 29 has previously been secured with itsstructure to the lower end of central tube 22 by the prior tightening ofnut 34.

At this point, the rod 13 is provided the friction-lock device includingparts 19, 20 and 21, previously described, and compression sleeve 20 ispreloaded by the manual tightening of nut 21 upon threaded stud 1,7.This friction-lock portion of the rod is introduced into the upper endat A of central tube 22, and the diameter of tube 22 will be such thatit will be nominally equivalent to the outside diameter of compressionsleeve 20. Hence, rotational displacements of rod 13 about its axis willprovide a riding up or tightening of nut 21 upon stud 17, therebyproducing a radial expansion of compression sleeve 20 and a furtherlocking of the device within central tube 22. At this point, themicrophone 10 may be attached to the ear 12 of rod 13 by the pivotattachments 15 being introduced through aperture 14 and clevis mount 11in a con ventional manner. The microphone cord may either be disposedoutside of the structure or, where desired, the cord may simply proceedupward through the microphone structure by using hollow bolts and studsas at 17 and 29, a hollow base relative to 35, and a hollow rod for rods13.

Experience has demonstrated that a very slight rotational displacementof rod 13 can be used either to secure or to loosen the heightdisposition of rod 13 within central sleeve 22. This is very easily doneand may be done by use of a single hand. Thus, rotational displacementof rod 13 in one direction will produce a loosening of the friction-lockdevice D by permitting a restoring of sleeve 30 to its original positionupon a relative loosening of sleeve 20 nut 21 as accomplished throughthe slight rotational adjustment of rod 13. Thereupon, the rod may beadvanced upwardly or downwardly, as desired, and the user then, andsimple with a slight rotation of rod 13 by his thumb and fingers, mayreturn the friction-lock at sleeve 20 through a reverse rotation of therod.

The structure thus indicates a microphone or other extensible structurewherein, by virtue of a manual manipulation of a single element, namelyrod 13 or even microphone 10, there may be provided a release of thefriction-lock of the rod 13 and a corresponding resecurement thereof byuse of but a single hand.

The present invention is ideally suited to microphone constructions butmay be used in other contexts and constructions equally as well as inthe case of extensible poles, legs, transit stands, camera or projectorstands, extension pointers, and so forth.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatchanges and modifications may be made without departing from thisinvention in its broader aspects, and,

therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changesand modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of thisinvention.

I claim:

1. An elongate construction including, in combination, a base supportfor disposition on and support by a ground plane, a tubular standardupstanding from said base support, a rod slideably disposed within saidtubular standard, said rod having an upper end and a threaded lower endprovided with reaction means, a radially expandable, axiallycompressible friction sleeve disposed over said lower end andfrictionally engaging the interior of said tubular standard, and nutmeans threaded onto said lower end and backing said sleeve, forselectively compressing said sleeve against said reaction means, saidnut means being advanceable against said sleeve upon the rotation ofsaid rod relative to said tubular standard, wherein said base supportincludes a base having a central bore, a tubular stub securing saidtubular standard, and friction-lock means securing said tubular stub tosaid base at said bore, and wherein said friction lock means comprises abolt, first friction sleeve lock means disposed upon said bolt withinsaid bore of said base, second friction sleeve lock means disposed uponsaid bolt within said tubular stub, means threaded upon said bolt forcompression-locking said second friction sleeve lock means within saidtubular standard, said tubular stub including a base portion threadedupon said bolt and comprising means for friction-locking said firstfriction sleeve lock means within said base.

